Campaign to stop X Factor winner having Christmas number one is 'stupid', says Simon Cowell

Thursday 10 December 2009 16:15 BST

X Factor judge Simon Cowell today branded a campaign to prevent the show's winner from having the Christmas number one single as "stupid" and "cynical".

He also said he felt it was "dismissive" of the show's viewers and that he felt the campaign was aimed at him.

A group set up on Facebook is calling for people to make rock band Rage Against The Machine's 1992 single Killing in the Name this year's number one.It currently has 548,000 members.

Not impressed: Simon Cowell

Speaking at a press conference with the competition's finalists Stacey Solomon, Joe McElderry and Olly Murs, and its judges Dannii Minogue, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh, Cowell said: "If there's a campaign, and I think the campaign's aimed directly at me, it's stupid. Me having a number one record at Christmas is not going to change my life particularly.

"It does however change these guys' lives and we put this opportunity there so that the winner of the X Factor gets the chance of having a big hit record.

"I think it's quite a cynical campaign geared at me which is actually going to spoil the party for these three.

"I also think it's incredibly dismissive of the people who watch and enjoy the show... to treat our audiences as if they're stupid and I don't like that."

Cowell also played down the impact of the trend for the X Factor's winner to take the No 1 spot.

He said: "Everyone has this slightly distorted view of Christmas numbers one being incredible. There was that ghastly Cliff Richard song a few years ago, Bob The Builder.

"So we haven't exactly taken away anything special, it just so happens that our record, to coincide with the show, goes out at Christmas."